Nichole Adams, Mike Noftall named the best of 2008

Softballer Mike Noftall, a standout for Canada's national junior team, is the 2009 Molson St. John's male athlete of the year. - Telegram file photos

Young softball star Mike Noftall and soccer scoring sensation Nichole Adams were named St. John's Molson male and female athletes of the year Friday night.

The names were announced by Mayor Dennis O'Keefe during the 58th St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year banquet at City Hall.

Young softball star Mike Noftall and soccer scoring sensation Nichole Adams were named St. John's Molson male and female athletes of the year Friday night.

The names were announced by Mayor Dennis O'Keefe during the 58th St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year banquet at City Hall.

Female award

Adams won the scoring title in the provincial Breen's Jubilee Trophy Women's Soccer League, tallying 21 goals in 18 regular season games. She walked away with MVP and first team all-star honours.

In the playoffs, she scored two goals in EPR Kirby/The Dock's 4-0 semifinal win over Holy Cross, and then scored the winning goal in overtime against the Crusaders in the final.

In the national championship staged at King George V Park in St. John's, Adams scored eight goals in four games to share the tournament scoring lead.

Adams was also an integral part of the Memorial Sea-Hawks varsity team, scoring seven goals to finish third in conference scoring. She was named to the conference second all-star team and was also a CIS academic all-Canadian.

She beat out basketball player Katherine Quackenbush and soccer teammate Laura Breen for the award.

Adams took home the Margaret 'Mag' Davis Memorial Award.

Male award

Noftall was a member of Canada's silver medal team at the world junior men's softball championship in Whitehorse, Yukon where he hit .300, knocked in 10 runs and scored eight others.

At the national midget boys championship in Saskatoon, Sask., Noftall was named to the tournament all-star team after helping Newfoundland win the bronze medal. He was the all-star pitcher after going 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 42 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .333 with six RBI.

He was named MVP in the provincial midget boys' championship.

Locally, he was the regular-season and playoff MVP in the St. John's intermediate league where he was 9-5 on the mound with 137 strikeouts. He hit .400 with two home runs and seven RBI.

He was named all-star shortstop in the city's senior softball circuit for Westside Charlie's/Bud Lite after hitting .439 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBI.

Noftall won the Tom 'Dynamite' Dunne Memorial Award.

Other finalists for the male award were hockey player Luke Adam and curler Brad Gushue.

The athlete of the year is voted on by the St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year Committee. Members of the committee are chairman Don Power, Robin Short, John Browne, Brendan McCarthy, Jim Tee, Jill Brewer, Michelle Healey, Don Johnson, Terry Hart, Carl Lake, Ross Crocker, Paddy Daly, Doug Redmond and Troy Croft.

Kenn Oliver of The Telegram and CBC's Jacinta Wall were recent additions to the committee.

Hockey player Ted Purcell and curler Stacie Devereaux were last year's winners.

Nichole Adams

Often, the best offence is a good defence(man)

Molson St. John's athlete of the year

Nichole Adams, Mike Noftall named the best of 2008

MALE

1951 - Ferd Hayward

1952 - Ted Gillies

1953 - Ted Gillies

1954 - George Hillier

1955 - George Hillier

1956 - Lloyd Cooke

1957 - Barry Maunder

1958 - Tols Chapman

1959 - Bill Gillies

1960 - Bill Martin

1961 - Doug House

1962 - Charlie Spurrell

1963 - Ian Campbell

1964 - Tony Manning

1965 - Ian Campbell

1966 - Tols Chapman

1967 - Gordon Follett Sr.

1968 - Mac Rideout

1969 - Brian Brocklehurst

1970 - Ford Metcalfe

1971 - Joe Walsh

1972 - Ross Crocker

1973 - Ross Crocker

1974 - Blair Tucker

1975 - Denis Byrd

1976 - Jack MacDuff

1977 - Blair Tucker

1978 - John Dwyer

1979 - Paul McCloy

1980 - Mel Fitzgerald

1981 - Paul McCloy

1982 - Paul McCloy

1983 - Paul Merlo

1984 - Chris Daly

1985 - Paul McCloy

1986 - Paul McCloy

1987 - Paul McCloy

1988 - Colin Abbott

1989 - Colin Abbott

1990 - Paul McCloy

1991 - John Slaney

1992 - Rob O'Brien

1993 - Iain Tennent

1994 - Troy Croft

1995 - Rod Snow

1996 - Andy Crosby

1997 - Peter Benoite

1998 - Harold Druken

1999 - Colin Abbott

2000 - Mark Parsons

2001 - Brad Gushue

2002 - Jeff Saxby

2003 - Jason Hill

2004 - Brad Gushue

2005 - Brad Gushue

2006 - Brad Gushue

2007 - Ted Purcell

2008 - Mike Noftall

FEMALE

1969 - Maria Fitzpatrick

1970 - Pam Yetman

1971 - Annette Rossiter

1972 - Kate Jackman

1973 - Peg Baker

1974 - Marg Davis

1975 - Colleen Tapper

1976 - Joanne McDonald

1977 - Marg Davis

1978 - Joanne McDonald

1979 - Kathy Noseworthy

1980 - Paula Kelly

1981 - Gillian Grant

1982 - Debby Power

1983 - Sue Doyle

1984 - Nicola Will

1985 - Sue Doyle

1986 - Joy Burt

1987 - Pam Ennis

1988 - Sherry Morrissey

1989 - Pam Ennis

1990 - Cora McCloy

1991 - Cora McCloy

1992 - Jasmine Wadhwa

1993 - Andrea Hutchens

1994 - Krista Manning

1995 - Michelle Healey

1996 - Michelle Healey

1997 - Ann Murrin

1998 - Cheryl Oldford

1999 - Donna Phelan

2000 - Donna Phelan

2001 - Jennifer Parsons

2002 - Jenine Browne

2003 - Jenine Browne

2004 - Jenine Browne

2005 - Julia Howard

2006 - Laura Breen

2007 - Stacie Devereaux

2008 - Nichole Adams

Note: There were 14 total ballots, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, three for a second- place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

FEMALE

Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total

Nichole Adams (soccer) 7 4 3 50

Katherine Quackenbush (basketball) 6 3 2 41

Laura Breen (soccer) 0 2 5 11

Vicki Thistle (basketball/soccer) 1 1 1 9

Sasha Wilkins (volleyball) 0 2 1 7

Heather Strong (curling) 0 1 2 5

Kaitlyn Thomas (diving) 0 1 0 3

MALE

Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total

Mike Noftall (softball) 5 4 2 39

Luke Adam (hockey) 4 4 2 34

Brad Gushue (curling) 2 2 2 18

Stephen Mullaley (softball) 2 1 1 14

Brad Ezekiel (softball) 0 2 2 8

Sean Wadden (hockey) 1 0 1 6

Andrew Fagan (rugby) 0 1 0 3

Ciaran Hearn (rugby) 0 0 3 3

Colin Fewer (running) 0 0 1 1

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